APOLLO

THE SUREST WAY TO MEET PRODUCT PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

It is an unfortunate fact of life that sunlight damages many materials. In the textile and other industries, there is a constant battle to prevent colours from fading. So as you strive to develop fabrics and materials that perform well in different light conditions, you’re looking for the most accurate, reliable way of testing them. Only the latest testing technology can give you real confidence in your products - that they will satisfy your customers and meet national, international and retailers’ standards.

Key Features

>> Established 2200W long arc xenon lamp technology

>> Irradiance measurement and control

>> Three different spectral measurements

>> True motion of irradiance measurement sensor

>> Weathering facility included

>> Up to 11 specimen holders

>> Menu driven graphical user interface

>> Ergonomic operation

>> Low running costs

>> Compact design

>> Advantageously priced

Now you can stay ahead of the effects of sunlight

Apollo is a highly advanced light fastness tester. Not only does it simulate sunlight faithfully, it also replicates wide range of temperatures and humidity levels in closely controlled conditions - essential when you need to predict a fabric’s performance in real-life situations.

Although this technology can be applied to many materials, such as plastics, paper and rubber, we’ve developed this instrument with textiles in mind. We designed Apollo in consultation with many users, including leaders in your industry, so we know it meets your particular needs. For example, its manageable size is most appropriate to testing fabric samples, and this also helps keep it affordable.

We combined the learning we gained in our research with our in-depth experience of colour fastness testing. James H. Heal is a recognised world expert in the reaction of materials not only to light, but also to factors such as washing, dry cleaning, rubbing and cold water. This knowledge has been vital to the successful development of Apollo.

The result is an instrument that is not only extremely accurate, reliable and thorough, it is also easy to use and has low running costs. Most importantly, it will help you meet product performance standards in many markets, including the USA.

Apollo takes the lead…

With Apollo, you get new levels of accuracy and reliability. Here are the key features that will make a real difference to your light and weather fastness testing :

>> LONG ARC XENON LAMP TECHNOLOGY

This is the only way to reproduce faithfully the sunlight spectrum. Our 2200 watt lamp is part of a proven technology, and Apollo also includes a range of optical filters to simulate various light conditions.

>> EVEN EXPOSURE

In Apollo, the samples being tested rotate around the lamp. This ensures consistent, even exposure to the light source - you don’t have to worry about the variations inherent in less sophisticated testers.

Apollo in full control

>> SOLARSENS IRRADIANCE MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL

Although many light fastness standards use blue wools as a means of grading the amount of fade, defining the level of irradiance is now becoming more prevalent. With irradiance measurement and control as standard, Apollo is future-proof.

We call our system SolarSens. It measures the light, then uses this data to keep the light output constant by adjusting the lamp power. You have the choice of three different spectral measurements, to give you more control and help you conform to many different product performance standards - including those in the USA.

Unique to Apollo, SolarSens rotates in exactly the same way as your samples. This means it measures the same light as the sample sees, and gives you the most accurate control.

>> CLOSELY CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMBER

As the effects of sunlight on a material are significantly influenced by temperature and humidity, the only method of accurately simulating real-life conditions is to carry out light fastness tests in a controlled environmental chamber. With Apollo, we’ve developed the technology to create the temperature and humidity levels you need, and to keep them consistent throughout the chamber.

Again, our SolarSens technology makes a difference here. It constantly measures and regulates the temperature, to maintain the exact conditions you require. The environmental chamber also includes a rain cycle, where water is sprayed directly onto the samples to simulate rainfall. So now you can test your materials in an even wider range of weather conditions.

>> FUZZY LOGIC CONTROL

Because temperature and humidity are interdependent, we need a way of anticipating the effects they can have on each other. With fuzzy logic, Apollo’s control system overcomes these uncertainties, so you can still achieve the settings you want without one factor throwing another out of balance.

>> PROCESS CONTROL

Apollo has reliability built in. If any of the light or weather conditions deviate from the target setting for any reason, the process control system immediately stops the test and identifies the problem. So there is no inaccurate testing and no time wasted.

>> CALIBRATION

Today ’s market demands that your testing equipment has effective calibration. With Apollo, this is provided by HEALINK, true experts in the field with a sound reputation for knowledgeable, correct and valid calibration.

We calibrate the level of irradiance, chamber temperature and humidity, rotation speed and lamp power. For all these, we look at not just one measurement, but a range, to make sure the instrument is within calibration wherever you set it. So you have yet another reason to believe in the accuracy and reliability of Apollo.

>> WARRANTY

We’re so confident about Apollo’s reliability that we give you an 18-month warranty.

Easy to use

Ergonomic design was a high priority when developing Apollo. We wanted the equipment to be as easy to use as possible.

>> ACCESSIBILITY

Everything you need is accessible from the front of the machine. Lamps and filters are far easier to replace than in other xenon equipment.

>> SIMPLE CONTROLS

We’ve also made the controls and menu-driven interface very easy to operate with minimal training. The graphics and layout make Apollo extremely user-friendly. Yet you can also use it in

sophisticated ways as a research tool - this is a highly versatile system, suitable for a range of industrial applications.

>> PRE-PROGRAMMED STANDARDS

Apollo has product performance standards pre-programmed and stored within its system. You simply select the standard you want and the test is created automatically.

>> MAINTENANCE PROMPTS

This is an ‘intelligent’ machine - it tells you for example when to change the lamp or an optical filter.

Cost savings built in…

Apollo can save you money in several ways:

>> MULTIPLE TESTING

Inside the testing chamber, there are 11 specimen holders (10 if you use irradiance measurement), so you can run many tests simultaneously.

>> POWER EFFICIENCY AND AFFORDABLE LAMPS

We’ve designed Apollo to use power efficiently, and the lamps cost less to replace than in most other xenon light fastness testers.

>> EASIER MAINTENANCE

Because our ergonomic design makes most maintenance tasks easier, it also makes them cheaper to carry out.

>> AUTOMATIC RESTART

You’ve already read about our process control system, and how it prevents wasteful or abortive testing. Linked to this, an automatic restart function ensures immediate recovery from any power interruptions.

SolarSens

WE DEVELOPED THE SOLARSENS RADIOMETER SPECIFICALLY FOR APOLLO.

SolarSens measures light and relays the data to Apollo. Apollo keeps the light output constant by adjusting the power to the xenon lamp.

You put SolarSens on the turntable, in the place of one of the specimen holders. SolarSens is a completely independent device - it does not contain batteries and does not need an electrical supply. It derives its power from built-in solar panels. When using SolarSens, there is space for only 10 specimen holders on the turntable.

Light is measured by UV sensors, at three different wavelengths:

340nm, 420nm and the more common 300-400nm. Different standards/ test methods specify different wavelength values. With SolarSens, you cover them all, in one versatile instrument.

SolarSens also measures black standard temperature, allowing Apollo to control it at the level defined by either the user or the relevant standard/ test method.

Importantly, the motion of SolarSens exactly replicates the movement of the holders and the specimens, so it can achieve unparalleled accuracy of measurement.

To prove the accuracy of SolarSens, we have developed a professional and traceable calibration procedure. This service is offered world-wide by HEALINK - our service and SolarSens Radiometer calibration division. SolarSens should be re- calibrated at least once a year.

Using light measurement to control the dosage of the specimens is commonly referred to as the irradiance method. Apollo can also be operated by using the more traditional method of comparing faded specimens with standard blue wool fabrics.

The ingenious four-in-one (one temperature and three light measurements) SolarSens effectively future proofs your investment in Apollo.